Pavel the Walker

At 16, he walked out. There was nothing to keep him at home. He walked till the money ran out. Then worked, saved and walked again until the money ran out. He was still walking at 30 in another continent when he met a girl. Falling in love stopped him walking-for a time. He wandered on. More

After another fight with his father, the 16 year old walked out. He severed connection with what he thought were his parents. He wandered the world and only stopped to work and save. He walked till the money ran out. He had walked North and South America and arrived in Australia when he was 30. And met a girl. He stopped wandering for a time. He had an appointment to keep. He wanted to stay. He had to leave. Heartbreaking moments. There has to be a happy ending. They deserve a future together. Can any man leave his past behind? Ever?

I have one grandfather who was a builder. My other grandfather was a stonemason and my father was a traditional blacksmith. Both my grandmothers had cooked for a living, one in a hotel and the other for well-to-do people. A career in construction or perhaps engineering or catering would have been obvious choices. Instead, I spent 20 years in business and in mid life retrained myself. I chose to work with my hands as my father and grandparents had. I become a renowned woodcraftsman and founded with my wife an art and craft gallery in a Tasmanian tourist town. After 20 years there, we followed our children to mainland Australia to retire on Victoria’s Bellarine Peninsula. I took up writing seriously in 2003. Working with their hands, creating and shaping materials has occupied my forebear. From stone, to iron, to wood. Now I spend my time putting pen to paper. The medium is getting softer.